Diving bell to support recovery work
A diving bell was ready to be used on Apr 30 to help the search for more than 90 people believed to be trapped inside the "Sewol". With most of its hull lying on the muddy sea bed, divers have had difficulty reaching it. The diving bell has been recommended as a new tool to carry divers deeper and help them stay longer underwater to search parts of the ship that have not been scoured.
The government disaster task force team continued the search for the 15th day near Jindo Island as divers braved strong wind and high tides to search cabins of the wreck, Debris and poor visibility have also kept divers from reaching bodies trapped inside the ship.
As five more bodies were retrieved from the fourth and fifth decks of the ferry overnight, the number of confirmed deaths rose to 210, with 92 people still unaccounted for. Rescue workers have set up guideline ropes near the fourth deck of the ferry's stern and put a barge in place to operate the diving bell at around noon, when a low tide is expected.
Anchoring the barge that operates the diving bell was extremely difficult due to the strong currents and there was a high risk that the anchoring chains could become tangled with others from rescue boats nearby. With rising pressure from relatives of the missing passengers to use all possible means to retrieve the bodies, the Coast Guard tried to mobilize the device over the weekend, but bad weather prevented the barge from anchoring close to the submerged ship. The U.S. Navy recovery vessel USNS "Safeguard" which is capable of conducting salvage, diving, towing, and heavy-lift operations, has also been operating near the disaster site to support the divers. The disaster response team will continue the operation until May 15, while placing large cranes near the scene to lift the ship upon approval from families of the victims. Prospects of finding the missing appeared bleak for the time being, however, as spring tides brought strong currents. The spring tides were expected to last until May 2. Weather in the area was forecast to be cloudy. Waves were expected to reach between 0.5 and 1 meter, with wind blowing at a speed of 6 to 11 meters per second.
A diving bell was ready to be used on Apr 30 to help the search for more than 90 people believed to be trapped inside the "Sewol". With most of its hull lying on the muddy sea bed, divers have had difficulty reaching it. The diving bell has been recommended as a new tool to carry divers deeper and help them stay longer underwater to search parts of the ship that have not been scoured.
The government disaster task force team continued the search for the 15th day near Jindo Island as divers braved strong wind and high tides to search cabins of the wreck, Debris and poor visibility have also kept divers from reaching bodies trapped inside the ship.
As five more bodies were retrieved from the fourth and fifth decks of the ferry overnight, the number of confirmed deaths rose to 210, with 92 people still unaccounted for. Rescue workers have set up guideline ropes near the fourth deck of the ferry's stern and put a barge in place to operate the diving bell at around noon, when a low tide is expected.
Anchoring the barge that operates the diving bell was extremely difficult due to the strong currents and there was a high risk that the anchoring chains could become tangled with others from rescue boats nearby. With rising pressure from relatives of the missing passengers to use all possible means to retrieve the bodies, the Coast Guard tried to mobilize the device over the weekend, but bad weather prevented the barge from anchoring close to the submerged ship. The U.S. Navy recovery vessel USNS "Safeguard" which is capable of conducting salvage, diving, towing, and heavy-lift operations, has also been operating near the disaster site to support the divers. The disaster response team will continue the operation until May 15, while placing large cranes near the scene to lift the ship upon approval from families of the victims. Prospects of finding the missing appeared bleak for the time being, however, as spring tides brought strong currents. The spring tides were expected to last until May 2. Weather in the area was forecast to be cloudy. Waves were expected to reach between 0.5 and 1 meter, with wind blowing at a speed of 6 to 11 meters per second.